From 2 Chronicles 26:5-165And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. 6And he went forth and warred against the Philistines, and brake down the wall of Gath, and the wall of Jabneh, and the wall of Ashdod, and built cities about Ashdod, and among the Philistines. 7And God helped him against the Philistines, and against the Arabians that dwelt in Gur-baal, and the Mehunims. 8And the Ammonites gave gifts to Uzziah: and his name spread abroad even to the entering in of Egypt; for he strengthened himself exceedingly. 9Moreover Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem at the corner gate, and at the valley gate, and at the turning of the wall, and fortified them. 10Also he built towers in the desert, and digged many wells: for he had much cattle, both in the low country, and in the plains: husbandmen also, and vine dressers in the mountains, and in Carmel: for he loved husbandry. 11Moreover Uzziah had an host of fighting men, that went out to war by bands, according to the number of their account by the hand of Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the ruler, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains. 12The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valor were two thousand and six hundred. 13And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. 14And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. 15And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. 16But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. (2 Chronicles 26:5‑16), we learn that king Uzziah “sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.” He went forth and warred, and “God helped him.” “He strengthened himself exceedingly.” He built towers in Jerusalem and fortified them, and towers in the desert, and digged many wells. He had husbandmen also, and vine-dressers in the mountains and in Carmel. Moreover, he had a host of fighting men that went out to war by bands. “The whole number of the chief of the fathers of the mighty men of valor were two thousand and six hundred. And under their hand was an army, three hundred thousand and seven thousand and five hundred, that made war with mighty power, to help the king against the enemy. And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal.” We need not dwell upon the description of the numerous army of King Uzziah; we will turn to God’s instruction for ourselves about it. “And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong. But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction.” Of all the words we find put together, there are few more remarkable than these.
One would have thought that the very object to be gained by Uzziah was to be strong, but the strength we naturally covet is independence of God. If we remember that all real strength is derived from the fullness that is in Jesus, we would always be able to say with Paul, “When I am weak, then am I strong” (2 Cor. 12:1010Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. (2 Corinthians 12:10)). We need to be deprived of every resource in ourselves, that we may know our strength to be in Him. When Uzziah felt himself to be strong, God left him. There is great danger of our putting multiplied means in the place of the Lord Himself; we may go the whole round of means, and forget that they are not the supply.
Strong
What has been the history of the church? She was marvellously helped till she was strong; when she was strong, her heart became lifted up. The saints at Corinth had multiplied resources, men, wisdom and the like, and were tempted to think that by the exercise of this wisdom they could refute the heathen. But they were told by the Apostle, No; it is only by bringing in the “wisdom of God,” which is foolishness with man, and the strength of God, which is weakness with man. In the book of Acts, the Spirit of God shows us that the church, when few in number, was marvellously helped. But how soon the church began to look to itself, to its own resources and greatness, instead of to the Lord! And has this a voice to ourselves? Our blessing is in our taking the place of weakness, so that God may for His own name’s sake provide help.
There is danger in our supposing that we have attained to something. It is a mark of failure when a Christian looks to his own honor and credit, instead of the honor of the Lord. The great thing is to have regard for His name, for a single eye will be occupied with Christ.
His Heart Was Lifted Up
It is a very strong word that we have here in reference to Uzziah — “His heart was lifted up to his destruction.” But there is as strong a word in the New Testament — “He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.” If any, even a saint of God, “soweth to his flesh,” he will reap only a sorrowful harvest of corruption, all his time having been misspent. We need to give heed to the searching words of Scripture, not turning away the point of them from ourselves under the supposition that they cannot apply to us. This thought has been the source of much mischief in the church. That soul will prosper which trembles at God’s Word and is willing to face the most searching parts of it. The saint of God can sow to the flesh, can walk “according to the flesh,” can “war after the flesh”; but the miserable end will be, that he will “of the flesh reap corruption.” When Uzziah was strong (his strength being in his own resources), his heart became “lifted up” — more like the heart of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon (Dan. 4:2020The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; (Daniel 4:20)) than that of God’s anointed king of Judah. A heart that is “lifted up” is in a dangerous state and is almost always on the brink of a fall.
Though Uzziah was God’s anointed king, not God’s anointed priest, yet he would have nothing restrained from him. We find him transgressing “against the Lord his God,” and going into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense, which appertained not unto him, but unto the priests only, the sons of Aaron who were consecrated to burn incense. Let us too beware of dealing with the Lord in unholy familiarity; a humble spirit is always a confident spirit, but a humble spirit can trust only in the blood of Jesus; it does not rush into God’s presence as the man who is “lifted up” in heart does. We can come there only through the incense of the Lord Jesus, not on the credit of our own graces, or devotedness, or in fleshly fervor.
The Place of a Priest
Beloved, this history of king Uzziah is written for our admonition. Lifting up of heart is always self-seeking, not God seeking. We have (blessed be God) liberty to enter into the holiest, for we are priests unto God by the blood of Jesus, but it is ever through the incense of our great High Priest.
In chapter 27:6, we have no mention of Jotham’s great army; he “became mighty, because he prepared his ways before the Lord his God.” This is the way for the saint to grow in practical strength. Thus it was with the Thessalonians; their “work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope” was “in the sight of God and our Father.” Jotham set the Lord always before him and went on in an even tenor of conduct. In the eyes of man, he might not be as mighty as Uzziah, but the Holy Spirit records his name as that of one “mighty” in the eyes of God.
Christian Truth, Vol. 11